Scorched Plague
The Scorched Plague is a devastating mutagenic infection that ravaged Appalachia between 2085 and 2102, wiping out nearly all human life in the region save for those sheltered within Vault 76. While extremely virulent within the game's lore, in gameplay the player character cannot contract the infection, even before being inoculated to it. Players exposed to the disease instead contract the Blight, which lowers all SPECIAL stats by 1. Background The origins of the Scorched are tied directly to scorchbeasts created by the Enclave's biochemical experiments around 2083. The vicious mutation that turned the bats into ferocious, gigantic predators has also resulted in them secreting a virulent plague that turns other living creatures into their thralls. Those that come into contact with a scorchbeast may begin to mutate if the plague takes hold; beginning with the victim's skin turning dark, almost black, with the smell of ash. The process culminates in lesions that burn with intense heat begin to form on the victim's body. The affected creature appears to be covered in smoldering embers. In the case of humans, higher mental function eventually disappears, replaced by extreme, almost animalistic aggression.Morgantown Airport terminal entries#Scorched Research The Responders attempted to create a vaccine against the plague at the Morgantown Airport, under the lead of Dr. Claire Hudson. Using the AVR Medical Center equipment, the Responders attempted to counter the disease and even reverse it. There is no alternative, however, as the Scorched are lethal. They are nothing less than an existential threat and the Responders fully expected that if they could not find a way to defeat them, or at the very least contain them, they would spread far and wide, transforming or destroying everything in their path. Worse, individual Scorched humans are savage and deadly. While their ability to speak is limited, they are not mindless. They retain enough intelligence and memory to use guns (but not heavy weapons such as miniguns) and other weapons, and they are hostile to everything they perceive as a potential threat. Biology A scorched is created when a human, or other creature, comes in contact with a scorchbeast, as the mutated fungus-like plague called the Scorched Plague that it carries mutates those infected. The skin goes through a rapid change from a charred black to blood red lesions as if they have been flayed alive. Complete loss of hair and cataracts of the eyes also occurs and green ultracite crystals begin to protrude randomly from the skin. As well as affecting the appearance, those infected also succumb to complete degeneration of mental faculties. The infection of the scorched plague essentially creates a hive mind that connects all scorched to the scorchbeast queen.Fallout 76 loading screen hints: "The Scorched are human beings afflicted by a strange condition known as the Scorched Plague, and are now controlled by a violent hive mind. But what is the Plague's source? And can it be stopped?"''The Queen can then command these scorched at will.Fallout 76 loading screen hints: ''"A Scorchbeast Queen and her army of mind-controlled minions are terrorizing the area. Stop them if you can!" The only instincts left for those infected are violent aggression towards everything but other scorched. However, when not acting violently or being directly controlled, a scorched will wander until it sticks in place. The scorched will stay in any position they are stuck in until they petrify from the inside out leaving only a radioactive, petrified corpse. This means that all scorched have a set lifespan until they inevitably succumb to their disease. The petrification process can take longer depending on the activity around any given area, as any disruption to a scorched while going through petrification will awaken them back to their wandering state. Even in death though, a scorched's petrified corpse is a strong source of radiation to any unwise enough to disturb it. The plague has some inexplicable connection to the hyper-radioactive ore known as ultracite; the characteristic green crystals that penetrate from the flesh of the Scorched are ultracite crystals.Appearance of the Scorched. Characteristics The Scorched Plague is a highly contagious mutagenic pathogen that infected almost all of West Virginia's human population that survived the Great War, turning them into the Scorched; beings similar to feral ghouls that retain enough presence of mind to wield weapons and wear armor to assault any uninfected humans unfortunate enough to cross their path. Creatures infected with the plague will not be hostile towards other infected creatures, regardless of species or race.Ella Ames' bunker terminal entries#Group Recognition? The plague is also responsible for mutating the local pygmy bat population into scorchbeasts; giant bat creatures who, having overpopulated the underground caverns they lived in, spread the plague to the surface. It seems to have become symbiotic with the scorchbeasts because these beasts retain their individuality while other infected creatures become part of a hive mind, connecting them to the beasts and giving the beasts the ability to control other infected beings to some extent. The plague also infected other species of local wildlife but didn't mutate them to the same extent as scorchbeasts. A few species such as mole rats, wolves and feral ghouls are noted to have a particularly strong resistance to, if not complete immunity from, the plague. At least in humans, the Scorched Plague continues to grow inside of the infected, causing ultracite growths to cut through their skin, eventually overtaking the host and killing them. This internal lacing with ultracite also makes plague victims vulnerable to ammunition made from depleted ultracite, due to the negative reaction that occurs when normal and depleted ultracite are brought together.Message from Hank Madigan This weakness was leveraged by the Responders' Fire Breathers division, who laced munitions with depleted ultracite crystals, and the Brotherhood of Steel who created laser weaponry with ultracite crystal focus arrays, dealing extra damage against infected creatures. These ultracite growths also allow for easy tracking of infected creatures, as ultracite gives off a distinctive radiation signature. In addition, Scorchbeasts have been observed guarding ultracite deposits and consuming raw ultracite ore, suggesting that consuming ultracite strengthens them somehow. Immunities While the Responders, Free States and Brotherhood were all developing an inoculation/cure for the Scorched Plague, there are some creatures with a natural resistance to the disease: ; Hostile ; Friendly Infected creatures Notes An Arktos Pharma experiment produced symptoms remarkably similar to that of the plague,Test log 3-12-78-A14 suggesting that the Enclave project used the Arktos experiment as a basis of some sort to create the plague. Appearances The Scorched Plague appears only in Fallout 76. See also * Marked men Gallery FO76 Scorched.png|A human victim of the plague FO76 Scorched conqueror.png|Another human victim of the plague FO76 Scorched officer.png|A military officer infected with the plague F76 Scorched Officer.png|Another infected officer scorched.jpg|A closeup of a human victim of the plague FO76 Scorched mega sloth.png|Two mega sloths infected with the plague Fo76 Scorched yao guai.png|A yao guai infected with the plague Scorched Deathclaw.png|A deathclaw infected with the plague FO76 Scorched angler.png|An angler infected with the plague FO76 Venomous angler.png|A venomous angler infected with the plague FO76 Scorched bloatfly.jpeg|A bloatfly infected with the plague Fallout 76 Hermit Crab.png|A hermit crab infected with the plague FO76 Scorched Mirelurk Crab.png|A mirelurk infected with the plague FO76 Scorched mirelurk king.png|A mirelurk king infected with the plague FO76 Scorched mirelurk queen.png|A mirelurk queen infected with the plague Scorched mothman.jpg|A mothman infected with the plague Nw ls mt graftonmonster.jpg|A Grafton monster infected with the plague FO76 Scorchbeast creature.jpg|A scorchbeast with a cloud of infectious gas emitting from under its body Scorchbeast queen.jpg|The queen scorchbeast References Category:Fallout setting Category:Diseases and viruses ru:Чума горелых